I am replying on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. The Government has made services for older people a priority and is fully committed to the de...

Adjournment Debate - Industrial Disputes.

I thank Deputy Ned O’Keeffe for his comments. I am taking this Adjournment debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. I should put on record the fact that the...

Adjournment Debate - Residential Institutions Redress Scheme.

I thank Deputy O’Sullivan for raising this matter. Every Member of the House will share the concern that anybody is sleeping outside Leinster House as a protest on these terrible evenings. It is not e...

The reality is there probably was no responsibility. People today still highlight the fact that there are not sufficient inspection facilities and they are talking about 50 years later. It was a diffe...

There are also legal issues to be explored and addressed with regard to the ultimate ownership of such a site. If this goes ahead as indicated, who would own the site and the building? Those issues mu...

Written Answers - Residential Institutions Redress Scheme.

Was asked: if she will ensure a person (details supplied) in Dublin 17 is not excluded from the redress board in December 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The person in question wishes to make an application to the Residential Institutions Redress Board regarding alleged abuse at a particular institution which is not included in the Schedule to the Resi...

Written Answers - School Transport.

Was asked: if she will make available the boundary maps for school transport entitlement as agreed in the late 1960s and if she could make available a separate map for Wexford.

The transport liaison officer in each county will have a copy of the catchment boundary map for their respective counties. I will arrange to have a map for Wexford forwarded to the Deputy.

Written Answers - Schools Amalgamation.

Was asked: further to Parliamentary Question No. 592 of 2 November 2005, if she will arrange a technical inspection of the schools in question; if she will expedite the proposal to amalgamate the two schools; i...

Pursuit of the proposed amalgamation by the trustees-patron of the schools to which the Deputy refers is a relatively recent development. Notwithstanding this, my Department has progressed matters to ...

Was asked: the position regarding the amalgamation of schools (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The patron of the schools referred to by the Deputy has advised my Department of the agreement to amalgamate the two schools. The provision of a new school building on a new site to house the amalgama...

Was asked: the position regarding the amalgamation of schools (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The schools referred to by the Deputy have made an application for capital funding towards the provision of a new school on a new site being provided by the parish to facilitate amalgamation. The appl...

Written Answers - Schools Building Projects.

Was asked: the position regarding the provision of a new primary school at a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The current and future accommodation needs of the school referred to by the Deputy are under consideration by my Department. The long-term projected staffing, on which the schools future accommodation...

Was asked: the position regarding the provision of a new primary school building at a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The need for a new school building at the school referred to by the Deputy is acknowledged by my Department. A suitable site has been identified by the Office of Public Works which acts on behalf of m...

Was asked: when funding will be provided for the construction of the Gaelscoil in Stepaside (details supplied).

The school in question was listed in my announcement of April this year as a project to commence architectural planning in 2005. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the design team has been appoint...

Written Answers - National College of Art and Design.

Was asked: if the National College of Art and Design is to be relocated to the Belfield campus of UCD as an alternative to the redevelopment of the existing Thomas Street, Dublin 8, campus.

Was asked: her views on whether the economy of the Liberties area and local community projects in which the National College of Art and Design and its students are involved would suffer in the event that the Nat...

I propose to take Questions Nos. 426 and 427 together. The National College of Art and Design is examining how its future accommodation needs may be addressed. As part of this examination, the college...

Written Answers - Non-National Minors.

Was asked: the number of unaccompanied non-national minors in the education system here; the schools they attend; the ages at which each non-national minor entered the education system; the present age of each n...

Unaccompanied non-national minors are referred by the immigration authorities on arrival to this country to the relevant Health Service Executive personnel who respond to their needs in accordance wit...

Written Answers - Grangegorman Development Agency.

Was asked: when she will establish the agency required to enable the Grangegorman development to begin; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

I have allocated a sum of €1 million in my Department’s 2006 Estimates to facilitate the establishment and operation of the Grangegorman Development Agency. Grangegorman is a unique site and is of str...

Written Answers -
Departmental Reports.

Was asked: the status of the McIver report on further education; the recommendations which she has accepted and those she has rejected; and if she intends to appoint an implementation team or set out a time spec...

This Government is strongly committed to improving participation and achievement at every level of education. We have put the resources and supports in place to ensure there is a wide range of course ...

Written Answers - School Transport.

Was asked: the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is not being picked up by a school bus.

It is understood from Bus Éireann, which organises the school transport services on behalf of my Department, that the child referred to in the details supplied resides 0.96 kilometres from the school ...

Written Answers - Special Educational Needs.

Was asked: when an educational psychologist report will be carried out for a person (details supplied) in County Laois; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Was asked: if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of children are awaiting educational psychologist reports to be carried out at a school (details supplied) in County Kildare; when the Nationa...

Was asked: if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of children are awaiting educational psychologist reports to be carried out at a school (details supplied) in County Kildare; when the Nationa...

I propose to take Questions Nos. 432, 433 and 436 together. The assessment of needs of, and the provision of services for, children with autistic spectrum disorder, ASD, require a collaborative approa...

Written Answers - Schools Building Projects.

Was asked: the assessment she has made of the need for a new second level school in Shankill, County Dublin; if her attention has been drawn to the views of an association (details supplied) which considers such...

There are enough spare places in the existing second level schools in the vicinity of Shankill to accommodate all students from Shankill for the foreseeable future. The schools in Bray, Loughlinstown ...

Written Answers - School Management.

Was asked: if the board of management of a school or her Department are the employer with regard to the transitional agreement 2005 under the Protection of Employees (Fixed Term Work) Act 2003.

The transitional agreement 2005 for the implementation of the Protection of Employees (Fixed Term Work) Act 2003 in the educational sector applies to persons falling within the remit of the Teachers C...

Was asked: if funding will be provided for Educate Together to enable it to fulfil its requirements as a registered patron for new schools, including writing, developing and implementing a patron’s curriculum to...

Was asked: if, in view of the fact that in the past five years Educate Together opened more schools than any other patron body, without assistance from the State, she will allow patron bodies to receive State ai...

I propose to take Questions Nos. 437 and 439 together. As I indicated in my statement on the publication of the Estimates for 2006, extra funding is being made available to the primary school manageme...

Written Answers - School Curriculum.

Was asked: the reason Educate Together received no State funding towards its learn together curriculum when protestant and catholic patron bodies receive 100% funding for entire religious education departments i...

The position is that the revised primary school curriculum, which was introduced in 1999, does not include a curriculum for religious education. In drawing up the primary school curriculum, it was ack...

Written Answers - School Accommodation.

Was asked: the extent to which the present accommodation is sufficient to meet current and projected requirements in respect of all primary and post-primary schools in Enniscorthy, County Wexford; her plans to m...

As the Deputy will be aware, officials in the school planning section of my Department are currently carrying out a review of primary and post-primary school provision in the Enniscorthy area. This re...

Written Answers - Special Educational Needs.

Was asked: the extent of the need in respect of remedial, resource or other special needs teachers at all primary and second level schools throughout County Wexford; her proposals to approve the necessary staff ...

Was asked: the number of special needs teachers appointed to each of the schools throughout County Wexford; the number still required; her proposals to meet this requirement in full at an early date; and if she ...

I propose to take Questions Nos. 441 and 442 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the information regarding the number of special education teachers appointed to each school throughout County We...

Written Answers - School Accommodation.

Was asked: the extent to which the present accommodation is sufficient to meet current and projected requirements in respect of all primary schools in Gorey, County Wexford; her plans to meet these requirements ...

The school planning section of my Department is examining educational provision at primary level in the Gorey area. Factors under consideration include demographic trends, current and projected enrolm...

Written Answers - School Curriculum.

Was asked: if the application for the summer works scheme for the science room in a school (details supplied) in County Sligo is approved in view of the major emphasis on science in the education curriculum; and...

The school referred to by the Deputy has made an application for funding under the summer works scheme 2006. All applications under this scheme are being examined in the school planning section of my ...

Written Answers - Site Acquisitions.

Was asked: if her Department, through a compulsory purchase order, have the power to extinguish the right of way where a site for a school has been identified with an existing right of way; and if she will make ...

My Department does not have the authority to use compulsory purchase orders in relation to matters arising from site acquisitions. However, sites acquired by my Department are subject to legal examina...

Written Answers - Psychological Service.

Was asked: the availability of child psychological services for each of the primary and second level schools in County Wexford; the procedure in her Department for evaluating the need for child psychological ser...

All schools in County Wexford have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS or through the scheme for commissioning psychologica...

Written Answers - School Staffing.

Was asked: if the successful candidate for a post (details supplied) meets every aspect of the requirements as detailed in Circular M15/2001; if she will outline when, the location in which and the length of tim...

Appointments of the kind indicated are a matter for the vocational education committee, as the employer. My Department prescribes qualifications for appointment, but does not sanction individual appoi...

Written Answers - Education Schemes.

Was asked: if she will ensure that a school (details supplied) in County Kerry will be awarded a capital grant under the summer works scheme 2006; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The school referred to by the Deputy has made an application under the summer works scheme 2006. All applications under the summer works scheme are being examined in the school planning section of my ...

Written Answers -
Ministerial Staff.

Was asked: in respect of each Minister of State within her Department, the number of staff broken down by grade employed within their private and constituency office; the number of staff who are permanent civil...

There are currently four staff working in the private office and four staff in the constituency office of the Minister of State, Deputy de Valera, with details as follows. The private office has one p...

Written Answers - Institutes of Technology.

Was asked: her views on granting university status to the Institute of Technology, Tallaght; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

In September 2004, the OECD published a review of higher education in Ireland. The review recommends that the differentiation of mission between the university and institute of technology sectors be m...

Written Answers - Schools Recognition.

Was asked: if she intends to grant formal recognition to a school (details supplied) in view of the fact that 18 months have elapsed since it applied; when this formal recognition will be granted; and if she wil...

I can confirm to the Deputy that the school planning section of my Department is in receipt of an application to establish a new post-primary school in the area to which she refers. A consultation pro...

Written Answers - School Accommodation.

Was asked: the number of schools in County Longford which have prefabricated accommodation; the names of those schools; the number of prefabs in each; the cost of those currently, as well as the total cost each ...

The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in the format requested. However, should the Deputy require information regarding a specific school, or schools, I would be happy to ar...

Written Answers - Grant Payments.

Was asked: the status of an application for a school (details supplied) in County Carlow under the devolved grant scheme; and if the application will be approved in view of the changed circumstances at the schoo...

The school planning section of my Department is in receipt of an application for major capital funding from the management authority of the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been ...

Written Answers - Student Support Schemes.

Was asked: her plans to restore the ratio of one guidance counsellor to 250 secondary school pupils, as was the standard in the past; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

My Department makes a specific ex-quota allocation of teaching posts in respect of guidance to schools in the second level system. That allocation is based on the pupil enrolment in September of the p...

Written Answers - Schools Building Projects.

Was asked: further to earlier questions, her views on the application from a school (details supplied) in Dublin 9 for funding for perimeter fencing; if approval will be given to the application in view of anti...

The application for perimeter fencing has been approved by my Department, and the school authorities have been informed.

Written Answers - Higher Education Grants.

Was asked: if there is assistance available to students wishing to study in the US for a master’s degree; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The third level student support schemes, administered by the local authorities and vocational education committees on behalf of my Department, do not extend to postgraduate study outside the island. A...

Written Answers - School Accommodation.

Was asked: the progress which is being made regarding permanent accommodation for a school (details supplied) in County Galway; when it will be provided with three prefabs and two Portakabins.

The school referred to by the Deputy has applied for additional accommodation. As part of the assessment of the application, in accordance with the prioritisation criteria an examination of the accomm...

Written Answers - Schools Building Projects.

Was asked: the delay in progressing the proposed building development for a school (details supplied) in County Dublin; the reason her Department initially intended to increase accommodation at the school but su...

The project at the school to which the Deputy refers has been reassessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large-scale building projects. Following that reassessment, it is ...

Written Answers - Disadvantaged Status.

Was asked: the details of the nine disadvantaged national schools in Dublin’s north inner city; if, regarding each of those schools, the school lost a resource teacher, and the teaching hours in the school years...

The Deputy will be aware that the general allocation of learning support and resource teachers, LSRTs, is intended to cater for children with learning support and high-incidence special educational ne...

Was asked: when a decision will be made regarding the granting of disadvantaged status to a school (details supplied) in County Carlow; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

My Department’s approach to tackling disadvantage has been refined to ensure that individual “at risk” pupils are targeted. Rather than the old method of designating schools as disadvantaged, we now p...

Written Answers - School Enrolments.

Was asked: the potential school intake at primary and secondary level in the Naas, Celbridge, Sallins, Clane, Maynooth and Kilcock areas of County Kildare for September 2006; the current number of school places ...

I am aware that the areas to which the Deputy refers, like many located in close proximity to Dublin, continue to experience population growth, a position that almost inevitably places some strain on ...

Written Answers - Schools Building Projects.

Was asked: if it is intended to allocate funds in 2006 to construct permanent school buildings for a school (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

The school planning section of my Department has received an application for major capital funding from the management authority of the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been asse...

Written Answers - Public-Private Partnerships.

Was asked: the value of investment undertaken in 2004 and to date in 2005 under PPP, distinguishing those involving tolling; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

My Department signed the contract for the new Cork School of Music, CSM, public private partnership project in September 2005. The capital cost of the project is €60.2 million, and the annual unitary ...